Even though a new system of appointments and the distribution of numbered tickets was introduced yesterday, the number of citizens in line to obtain their passport continued to increase in Quebec.
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While there were only a handful just 48 hours ago, several dozen campers were patiently waiting for nightfall around 9 p.m. last night at Place de la Cité, where the Service Canada offices are located. .
“Do we have another choice? asked a man in his thirties.
Listen to Yasmine Abdelfadel’s interview with Audrey Gagnon, TVA journalist, on QUB radio:
Chaos
In Montreal, citizens lined up at Complexe Guy-Favreau remain skeptical about the usefulness of the new ticket system.
Coupons began to be distributed from 7 a.m. at the entrance. People were then separated into lines according to their departure time and the type of request. Some people fear that the situation is just as chaotic.
For the first time, a person would have gone out during the night to explain the process to people in line, some report.
Fairly early, around 9:20 a.m., there were no more tickets left to hand out.
“Anyone could handle this better. They should give tickets to people who have been camping for three days so they don’t have to do a fourth day of camping,” a woman said following the announcement.
“Am I waiting for nothing? Can children under 16 traveling with their parents by land, with both parents, just present the birth certificate from the Civil Registry? We are not able to get the information,” said another citizen.
Slower
In addition, it seems that the pace of passport issuance is slower today than before the pandemic, according to figures provided by Service Canada.
As of January 2020, 229,392 passports had been issued to the public, while the number of customer applications stood at 251,030.
Two and a half years later, in May 2022, the number of passports issued has increased to 159,667, despite the number of applications rising to 281,055 and with even more personnel.
For the Minister of the Family, Karina Gould, responsible for the passport file, comparing these two periods amounts to comparing “apples and oranges” since the nature of the requests is not the same.
-With Jean-Francois Racine